FOXBOROUGH - The Patriots confirmed what was reported yesterday, that Drake Maye will make his first NFL start on Sunday when the Patriots host the Texans at Gillette Stadium.
"Drake gives us the best chance to win now and going forward," Jerod Mayo told us Wednesday morning. "He's been getting better every single week. As I said before, at the end of training camp, he actually was trending at a very high rate, and that has continued through the early part of the season."
Claiming the decision was "solely" his and not expedited at all, Mayo explained that he had multiple conversations about moving on from Jacoby Brissett to Maye and that everyone is "on board," including Alex Van Pelt and GM Eliot Wolf.
"Look, I don't think it's a secret; our offense hasn't been performing the way that we all hoped it would," he added.
The Pats are averaging less than 13 points per game (31st in the league) and are dead last in passing yards weekly (119.4). Of course, some (a lot?) of that has been related to the worst pass-blocking offensive line in the league. Pressure rates have hovered around 50% for the season, and Brissett has been sacked or hit 52 times through five weeks. Read that again. It's not a typo. And yet the Pats and Mayo make the change on a week when they'll play the best pass-rushing team in the league.
"I would say there's never a perfect time to make a change," said Mayo. "Every defense that we play, whether it's the defensive ends or the defensive tackles, they all have the ability to rush and get after the quarterback. So I don't think there's ever a perfect time."
Some internally believe the team would be 3-2 if they had gotten better quarterback play, though those same folks are glossing over the coaching issues and defensive regression. It's human nature, and rather than accept their fair share of the responsibility, it is easier to lay the blame at the feet of one man, not the men who constructed the roster nor the ones in charge of coaching them up. Okay. Fine. But if the offense remains more listless than the guy who just crushed the all-you-can-eat buffet at Golden Corral for the last two hours, then what? Of course, there is the flip side, and that's what the powers-that-be are hoping for.
"I think it's a great opportunity," said Maye. "Something you dream of, you know, getting your first start in the NFL. So, excited you out there with the guys, take advantage of having a full week to get prepared, and try to put my best foot forward to help the team win."
For a team that desperately needs a spark, making the switch now certainly feels as though it's a deviation from the 'plan,' but now that they're doing it, Van Pelt needs to lean into what the kid does well. So far, we know that Maye is more comfortable when the Pats spread the field and work out of shotgun. His footwork has been less of an issue in those situations than when he's under center, even though being under center is a staple of the West Coast offense.
"It's hard to put a percentage on how much the offense will change," said Mayo. "I will say we have core concepts that all quarterbacks have to know how to go out there and execute. With that being said, his athleticism definitely opens up more plays."
Maye told us that he expects the offense to remain as it's been, although Van Pelt will speak to him as the week goes on about what concepts he likes and what he doesn't (he did the same with Brissett) as they try to tailor the plan to him that way.
"I think early on, just try to take what they give me, and find completions," Maye said. "I think that's the biggest thing for a young quarterback going in there. Then, from there, just don't try to hunt up off-platform, off-play, off-schedule throws. I think just feel it out and play football."
The locker room appeared energized by the switch.
"His athleticism is actually impressive," said Kendrick Bourne. "I didn't think he was that fast. I think his 40 might be faster than mine. ... Sometimes, the line is going to lose; sometimes, we're going to lose at receiver. So he can help. We all just got to help each other."
One other note on news and activities over the last 48 hours: The Pats PR department had to clear up the timeline of when the quarterbacks were informed of the switch, saying they were told Monday night, not Tuesday, as Mayo noted during his press conference. A small thing, right? However, it feels noteworthy considering the messaging issues this spring, summer, and fall. Did Mayo misspeak? Or did the coach tell us the truth, proving that someone within the organization leaked the news before he told the principles in this equation (and all these guys have social media or someone close to them that has it)? Considering how important Mayo made it seem that he have conversations with the quarterbacks at the end of August (before he publicly named Brissett the starter), you would hope it was the former and not the latter. The way things have gone, though, I have my doubts.
PEPPERS PLACED ON COMMISSIONERS' EXEMPT LIST
The NFL placed safety Jabrill Peppers on the Commissioner Exempt List on Wednesday following his arrest over the weekend. Peppers, a team captain, may not practice or attend games while on the list.
The 29-year-old was arrested on Saturday morning. He was charged with assault and battery; assault and battery with a dangerous weapon; strangulation; and possession of a Class "B" substance believed to be cocaine, according to police.
Peppers appeared for his arraignment on Monday at Quincy District Court and entered pleas of not guilty on the charges. His next court date is scheduled for Nov. 22.
"I just want to be clear that really any act of domestic violence is unacceptable for us. As a team, no matter if you're a player, staff member, we're wholeheartedly against any type of domestic violence," Mayo said. "I know the organization's position, which I fully support. With that being said, I do think that Jabrill has to go through the system, has to continue to go through a due process, and we'll see how that works out. What I will say is that the league has put him on the exempt list, and that will give us time to really gather more information going forward. At this time, he is not in the building. He's not in the building, and we'll talk about that at a later time. As a father of three daughters, I definitely understand the seriousness of the allegations, and hopefully, they're not true. But we'll see. Like I said earlier, we'll go through that due process."
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